Groups presented their data from the ball bounce lab. Here is some of the data that was collected.
This group explored the relationship between the drop height and the first bounce height. They also calculated what percentage the first bounce height was of the original drop height.This group bounced the ball on many different surfaces to see how many times it bounced. They also tried to explain why their data came out the way that it did.This group looked at the relationship between the drop height and the number of bounces. Interestingly, they found that there was very minimal relationship between the two variables. Additionally, they included a very nice graph for us to be able to interpret the data.
From all of this discussion, we decided that confidence in our data is very important in being able to make predictions. Therefore, the following things were decided by the class to try to increase the confidence in our data: 1. Multiple trials will be used (at least 3) 2. Multiple data points will be collected (at least 5) 3. The data points should cover a wide range of numbers.
Additionally, the classes decided that it was important to present our data clearly. Therefore, a table will be used to organize our data.
We continued our discussion of light as a particle and introduced ray diagrams. This naturally led to the discussion of shadows and how they work in terms of the particle model of light. In the lab that they started today, they are examining how to manipulate shadows and then explain them using ray diagrams. In the first part, their task was to change the size of the shadow but keep the image the same. They were then asked to draw a ray diagram explain why what they did was successful
Physics students performed the ball bounce lab! A simple demonstration was performed for them by dropping a ball and watching it bounce. Some really good observations and discussions were made throughout all of the classes. In all of the classes, we have groups trying to answer the following questions through lab experimentation: +. What is the relationship between the drop height and the bounce height? +. What is the relationship between the drop height and the number of bounces? +. What is the relationship between the type of surface and the bounce height?
All of these experiments are being done, and we will discuss them in class tomorrow.
If you are curious about what was discussed in the different classes, look at this Google Doc.
Chemistry II students were welcomes to the beginning of the year by a conversation about the nature of light. Several properties of light were discussed, but they found it very difficult to actually define light. What was settled on was that light could be thought of as a particle. Therefore, it would behave much like a basketball. This reinforced as we shined a laser in a dark room. The path of the laser could not be seen until chalk dust was sprinkled above the light trajectory. What can be seen is that light travels in straight lines, much like a basketball rolling across the floor.
Students took two pretest today: the Force Concept Inventory and the Classroom Test if Scientific Reasoning. The FCI is intended to measure students understanding of Newtonian mechanics (or physics that Sir Isaac Newton explained). The Classroom Test of Scientific Reasoning is intended to measure students basic understanding of scientific principles. Both of these scores WILL improve as we go throughout the school year!
In addition to taking the pretest, students tried to figure out the magic cd. The demonstration that was performed in class made it seem like the cd was able to separate each of these colors by pouring water over it. It was a great demo, and the students are really thinking about how it could have been done!
where passion, learning, and scientific reasoning meet
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Disappointment. Failure. Frustration.
These words have run through all of our minds at some point or another. They often penetrate our way of thinking at times when we have not met an expectation that has been placed on us. That expectation could be placed on us by other people, or it could have been an internal expectation. Regardless, failure to live up to an expectation can be very difficult.
I felt these feelings in December of 2010, which happened to be one of my biggest turning points in my life. I was in my first year of my doctoral program at the University of Kansas, and the work had become overwhelming. Let me clarify, the lab work had become overwhelming. I took very difficult classes and was able to do very well in them. However, whenever I went into the lab, I felt a sense of frustration. I had worked on a project in the lab for several months, and the results did not come out as I had hypothesized. I was frustrated, and I wanted to give up. This feeling stemmed from the fact that every other lab that I had ever done was successful. These labs were done in a class and were done to accomplish a certain learning objective. I never learned that failure was a key part of science. As a result, I was left to feel like a failure throughout all of my lab work.
Fortunately, I was a teaching assistant for the organic chemistry lab, and I discovered something that had not really been on my radar. I loved teaching! On top of that, I felt like I had been robbed of an authentic scientific experience because I had no idea that creativity, problem solving, and embracing failure were crucial in becoming a great scientist. At that point, I switched over to education, and I was able to start teaching at Iola in the fall of 2012.
Fast-forward to now. My experiences have greatly impacted who I am as an educator and what I expect from my students. I now have believe that students should have an experience in science class that is vastly different from traditional methods. Through my experiences in graduate school, STEM workshops, and Modeling Instruction (this is the educational philosophy and curriculum that I align myself to most), I believe the following things should be emphasized in a science classroom.
Students will have the freedom to design their own experiments. This means that students should be allowed to ask their own questions, devise their own experimental procedures, analyze their own data, interpret their data, use their data to make predictions.
Students will be empowered to construct models that are used to explain scientific phenomena. This means that they will collect and use data from experiments to make sense of the world around them. They will then explain these models using multiple representations.
Students will have a growth mindset. The end goal of the student should not be to receive a grade. Instead, they will be pushed to think beyond a grade. Each person will experience “failure” in the course, but they will understand that it is simply part of learning process.
Students will communicate their ideas to their peers. This is a crucial part of the scientific community, and it is an equally important part of the science classroom. Through this, students learn how to effectively explain an idea to other.
I have been attempting to incorporate all of these beliefs in my teaching practices, and over the years I have been progressively getting better. This year, my goal is to be the best teacher I have ever been. To help us document the learning process during the 2019-2020 school year, I have decided to take pictures of our class as we go throughout the year. As we look at these pictures, we should be able to see students living the goals that I have set.
So why the name Action at a Distance? Well, the phrase itself has a lot of meaning in the history of science! Non-contact forces, like the gravitational or electromagnetic, are forces that certainly act at a distance. To experience this, all one has to do is hold a magnet close to a refrigerator without actually touching it. There is a pull there…an attraction. Additionally, Albert Einstein actually used the phrase to describe Niels Bohr’s views on quantum mechanics, except that he claimed that it used “spooky action at a distance.” While these are all very good examples of action at a distance, I thought the phrase also fit in very well with my teaching philosophy. The word ACTION implies that the students are DOING science. The word DISTANCE eludes to the fact that I am not going to be the “sage on the stage.” Instead, I will be a facilitator of their learning.
Through this “Action at a Distance” approach, it is my hope that students walk away from my class with a realistic and appropriate view of science.
Action at a Distance 